Oxygen Gas-assisted Synthesis of Boron Nitride Nanotubes

doi:10.15541/ji.m.2013.0629

Abstract

Abstract:

Wool-like products were fabricated on the stainless-steel substrates by directly heating amorphous B powder at high temperature (1300℃) at 50 mL/min ammonia gas with different flow of oxygen gas (10, 15, 20, 40 mL/min). It was found that B powder could be oxidized by trace oxygen gas to form the intermediate B₂O₂ vapor, which can act as highly active boron source for the growth of BN nanotubes. When an appropriate amount of oxygen was introduced, the obtained nanotubes had an average diameter of about 80 nm and the lengths of several hundred micrometer. Both the diameter and the yield of BN nanotubes could be influenced dramatically by the flow rate of oxygen. With the increase of oxygen flow, the diameter of nanotubes was gradually increased, and the yield of nanotubes was improved obviously at first and then turned down. The formation mechanism of these nanotubes is governed by a vapor-liquid- solid (VLS) growth model.

Key words: boron nitride nanotubes, oxygen gas-assisted, vapor-liquid-solid growth model

CLC Number:

TQ174

LI Juan, WU Hao, CHEN Yong-Jun, XU Sheng-Ming. Oxygen Gas-assisted Synthesis of Boron Nitride Nanotubes[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2014, 29(8): 880-884.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 XRD pattern of the product synthesized at 1300℃ and oxygen flow of 10 mL/min

Fig. 2 Low- (a) and high- (b) magnification SEM images of the product synthesized at 1300℃ and oxygen flow of 10 mL/ min. Inset is the high-magnification image of a particle attached at the end of the 1 D nanostructure

Fig. 3 TEM image (inset TEM image showing a particle attached at the end of a BN nanotube) (a) and HRTEM image (b) of BN nanotube wall, and their EDX patterns (c,d), respectively

Fig. 4 Photoluminescence spectrum of the BN nanotubes

Fig. 5 Low- and high-magnification SEM images of BN nanotubes synthesized at 1300℃ and different flow rates of oxygen (a) and (b): 15 mL/min; (c) and (d) : 20 mL/min; (e) and (f): 40 mL/min

Fig. 6 SEM images of the nanotubes synthesis at 1200℃ (a), 1350℃(b) and oxygen flow of 10 mL/min

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